Baby Reindeer star Nava Mau, who played Teri in the award-winning series, is set to star in comedy thriller movie The Dregs, which centres around a group of friends travelling to Tuscany, which gets derailed by old unresolved tensions and a cursed souvenir wine bottle. We are obsessed already.
Nava recently became the first trans woman to be nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Emmy, as well as being named as one of BAFTA’s Breakthrough Cohort, after her amazing performance as therapist Teri, a love interest to Baby Reindeer creator and actor Richard Gadd’s Donny.
Mike Stern, who developed and produced The Dregs, has said of Nava’s casting: “[She] was incredible on Baby Reindeer, and we are thrilled to have her join The Dregs following the global success of the show.”
He described the movie’s script as “inventive, suspenseful, and painfully funny”, praising Nava alongside cast members Benjamin Morris, Maria Grazia Cucinotta and Zach Tinker. “Nava, Ben, Maria, Zach and Marta bring authenticity and conviction to everything they do and it’s a real honour to provide such a fun showcase for their talents,” Mike said.
This comes after Nava spoke out previously about the lack of opportunities for trans actors. “Right now, the industry seems to be afraid of taking risks,” she told GLAMOUR back in April shortly after Baby Reindeer dropped on Netflix. “I asked my manager, ‘are there any trans specific roles that are in the pipeline coming up, in the next few weeks, months?’ and he said, ‘no’. The answer is simply no. So that is very sobering and confirms what a lot of us are feeling, which is a lack of opportunity.
“We have seen time and time again that trans people on screen can be superheroes, can be the love interest, can be the villain, can be hilarious and comforting. The entire spectrum of what is possible on screen is also possible for trans people. So I don’t know what people are afraid of, to be honest.”
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We hope the tides are changing, and applaud Nava Mau for talking about this important issue so openly.
She is certainly paving the way for trans acting talent, having also been cast in the fifth and final season of Netflix’s You, alongside Penn Badgley. Nava will play a Detective Marquez, as a guest star role – super exciting.
